An Unsuspected Relation
by maddie-mira
Summary: All is currently well in Konoha. One day a mysterious young girl shows up. Who is she? What does she mean for the village? SasuSaku NaruHina. Plz review!
1. Chapter 1

Lee woke with a surge of emotion at the crack of dawn. _Yes! Another day begins, in which to train and strengthen the power of youth! _Dressing quickly, he grabbed an onigiri from the fridge and ran out the door.

When he reached his usual training spot, he stopped and stared. There was someone else already there. A girl. When she saw him, she waved in greeting. She looked ato be about his age, with long blonde hair and green eyes; she was pretty. He watched with interest as she completed a training sequence. She made a series of hand signs and pointed an arm at the nearby pond. A circle of water rose into the air, formed into a curved line, and flew around her twice before she released the jutsu.

Lee's eyes widened in shock as the girl stood, and with no apparent jutsu, rose into the air. She hovered there for about 10 seconds, then drifted back to the ground, panting as though she'd just lifted Choji. Once she caught her breath, she came over to him.

"It takes some effort to do that. Hi, my name's Mira. It's nice to meet you." She smiled a friendly smile, a clear cheerfulness in her eyes.

"I am Rock Lee. It is nice to meet you too, Mira. But, how did you do that flying thing just now?" Lee asked in a baffled tone.

Mira chuckled. "I get asked that a lot. To tell you the truth, it would take a while to explain the whole concept, so I don't think I'll explain it right now. Either way, I have to get going. The Hokage wants to speak with me. I'll see you around, Lee!" and with that she ran off, heading into town.

Lee looked after her, suspicious and more baffled than before. _Just who is she?_

Neji and TenTen looked over as Lee arrived at the tea shop where they'd planned to meet." Lee, there you are! You're late, what kept you?" questioned TenTen.

"I am sorry guys, I was a bit sidetracked. I met this girl, her name is—"

"Mira?" Neji interrupted.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"We just met her a minute ago," TenTen chimed in. "She's interesting, to say the least."

"She is! When I saw her she—" quickly Lee told the two what had happened.

"Intriguing," mused Neji. "I've never heard of someone with any such ability, even among ninja. Perhaps we should learn more about this girl."

Lee and TenTen nodded, reasonably interested. "She said she was going to see the Hokage," Lee remembered.

"Let's go then," declared TenTen.

"I will meet you guys there," replied Lee. "I can think of a few other people who would be interested." With that, he went off to search for the other genin.

Tsunade looked up when the 12-year old girl entered her office. "Lady Hokage." The girl bowed respectfully, curiosity showing in her large green eyes.

"You're Mira, is that right?" Mira nodded. "Well, it's nice to meet you, I suppose." She turned to her assistant Shizune. "Where is Naruto?"

"He and his team just returned from a mission, as a matter of fact," Shizune reported.

"Good. Send a messenger. I want to see him as soon as possible."

"Right." Shizune hesitated in the doorway. "Lady Tsunade, that girl, is she…?"

"Yes."

"And she also has…?"

"Yes."

"…Good luck."

"Man! That was such a dumb mission! All that ever happened was me getting attacked by that old woman's stupid cat. That was no fun," Naruto sulked.

"Well, you did take the ramen that was the cat's dinner," Sakura pointed out.

"Idiotic move," Sasuke smirked as they reached the entrance to Konoha.

"They can't waste a perfectly good bowl of ramen on that fat cat! It's a crime!" protested Naruto.

The trio was interrupted by another ninja coming out of Konoha. You three are to report in to the Hokage confirming the success of your mission . And Naruto, the Hokage wants to see you especially," the ninja declared.

"Okay, thanks," Naruto replied. "Let's get going guys! I wonder what old lady Tsunade wants with me."

"I take it your mission was a success," Tsunade said, addressing the three of them. Sakura and Sakuke nodded while Naruto let out an enthusiastic "You bet!".

"Now," she continued, "it's time to address a more serious matter." She motioned for a girl behind her to come stand next to her. "We found her living alone in a small town near the village. She is an orphan." The girl's eyes turned a little sad at the statement. "From DNA tests we have confirmed that she is the sibling of one of the leaf ninja."

Tsunade paused, and saw that all three genin were looking at the girl inquisitively. She hoped this wouldn't go badly. Here goes. "Naruto, this is Mira Uzumaki, your sister."

Sakura let out a little gasp, and even Sasuke's eyes were practically bugging out of his head.

Mira was just as shocked. _I have a brother! _She took a hesitant step forward, wanting to get a closer look at her newfound brother, but not sure what he would do. _I have a brother! I'm not alone after all? What if he doesn't like me? What if he won't accept me? _

Naruto was likewise thunderstruck, and having the same worried thoughts. His mind was trying to comprehend what he'd just heard.

The two of them faced each other, locking eyes. They weren't identical, but you could see the similarities between them. Her eyes were green rather than blue, but just as big as Naruto's blue ones. His hair was spiky and hers slightly wavy, but they both had the same sunny yellow hue. After a moment that seemed like an eternity, Mira looked down. "Naruto," she started, unsure what to say. "I, uhh—"

"You're my sister?" She nodded at the floor. "Wow. This is awesome!" Startled. She looked back up. He was grinning. "I mean, it's totally unbelieveable and everything, but OH MY FUCKING GOD I HAVE A SISTER!" His face turned to the kind of face you make when you're trying not to cry. He stepped forward and hugged her without warning.

Mira hugged right back. It was a little awkward, seeing as they'd just met, but stronger than the awkwardness was the thought that they shared. It's not just me now. I have family. Naruto's friends were like family to him, but it was something more to have a blood relative.

After a couple seconds they pulled out of the hug. Tsunade coughed and cleared her throat. "That's not all I had to say. There's more to it than that."


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Sorry about the weird organization of the story, I'm new at this. I'm happy that people like my story, but I need some inspiration to keep writing, so plz read and review!

* * *

Ch 5: More than one

"Sakura, Sasuke, I'm going to need you to leave now," decided Tsunade.

Sakura blanched. "What?! But this is huge, you can't just send us out!"

"I certainly can. This is classified information." Here her voice gentled very subtly "It also deeply involves Naruto personally; you have no right to stick your head in his business."

Sakura hung her head, looking ashamed.

"Hey, wait a minute, grandma!"

Tsunade was surprised. "Naruto?"

"Yeah, that's me, Naruto continued. "Sasuke and Sakura are my teammates and friends. I want them to be here for this, I don't mind. C'mon, please old lady?"

Tsunade sighed. "If they are here for this, they will learn more of one of your biggest secrets. Are you sure that's all right?" Naruto nodded. "Then they'll have to swear on their honor as a ninja that they will tell no one else of this."

The two eagerly agreed. "I swear on my honor as a ninja not to tell anyone else this. " They each pledged, Sasuke and then Sakura.

"You too, Mira."

"Oh, alright. I swear on my honor as a ninja not to tell anyone else this."

"Right. Shizune?" Shizune hurried into the Hokage's office, carrying a stack of papers. She set these down in front of Tsunade. "Let's get started then."

"As you have seen, Naruto has a kind of other chakra," started Lady Tsunade. "Sakura and Sasuke, know now; that other, red chakra is that of the demon Nine-Tailed Fox." They gaped at the revelation, but allowed her to continue. "Yes, the Fox's being was sealed inside of Naruto. But he wasn't the only one." Tsunade glanced over at Mira.

Sakura caught her breath. With wide eyes, Naruto started, "You mean…"

"Yes. The tests we ran also concluded that part of the Nine Tailed Fox's being is sealed in Mira as well."

Mira spoke up. "That's what it is? I have a demon inside of me?"

"Basically, yes," agreed Tsunade. "You've noticed it before?"

Mira nodded. "Yeah. I'd hear a voice talking sometimes, I thought I was going crazy at first. But other things would happen. I'd look in the mirror some mornings and my eyes would be red. Any injuries I got would heal in a fraction of the expected time, and I'd get this sense of strength once they were healed. People were unnerved by me."

"So you lived on your own? That must've gotten pretty lonely," sympathized Sakura.

Here Mira's face grew sad, as if remembering a bad memory. "I didn't like that people were scared of me. I always tried to be friendly, but only a few would even tolerate my company. It made me realize I had to learn how to control the thing inside of me, whatever it was. I would go into unpopulated areas, in the forest or the mountains, to be sure I wouldn't hurt anyone during my training. Eventually I figured out some control."

"Just how much control do you have?" questioned Tsunade. "What can you do? Give us the details, please, we need the specifics."

"Let's see, I can channel the red chakra to minor injuries of mine to heal them. When I say minor injuries, I mean very minor; small cuts and scrapes and bruises. I can also use it to slightly enhance the power of my jutsu-"

"Jutsu?" Tsunade interrupted. "You can use jutsu?"

"Oh that's right, I forgot to mention that. Before the weird stuff started happening, I trained in the small ninja academy in the town I lived in." Removing the cloak she wore, Mira pulled out the headband. "I'm a genin-level ninja," she said, showing them the leaf insignia on the headband. "I took it off for a little while during the trip here, I wanted a look at it, but I guess I forgot to put it back on." She grinned sheepishly, tying it back onto her forehead.

"As a ninja, you need to wear that headband at all times as identification," reproved Tsunade, "but I'll let it slide this once. So you were saying you can enhance your jutsu slightly with the Fox's chakra. Is there anything else?"

"There is one more thing," admitted Mira. "I stumbled on a rather, er, unusual ability of mine. I'll have to show you it for you to believe me. Just please don't freak out." Taking a deep breath, she focused her chakra, directing it upward. Her feet left the floor, and she slowly floated upward until she was two feet above the floor.

Sasuke, Sakura and Tsunade were flabbergasted, but remembering Mira's request, settled for staring and letting their jaws drop.

Naruto, being Naruto, completely freaked out. "WAAAH!! You can FLY?!" he spazzed, pointing a finger at Mira. "WOW I"VE GOT A SISTER WHO CAN FLY!!! I WANNA FLY TOO! I WANNA FLY TOO!"

Tsunade slapped a hand to her forehead. Sakura took the liberty of punching Naruto in the jaw. "You IDIOT, she said don't freak out!"

"Naruto, are you always this, eh, loud?" asked Mira, sinking to the ground.

Naruto grinned, a little embarrassed. "Well…"

"Yes," Sakura completed for him. Naruto glared at her.

* * *

Another one with the Fox's chakra? Lots of possibilities with that. Next chapter you'll see the other shinobi's reactions to Mira, and whatever else I can think of. Again, plz read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

A few minutes later, Naruto, Mira, Sakura and Sasuke were exiting the Hokage building together. As they walked through the doors, they were greeted by chatter and curious faces.

Lee had gathered more than a couple of people. Along with Lee, Neji and TenTen were Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba and Akamaru, Shino, and Hinata. "Well, what do we have here?" Kiba teased. "Who's the new girl?" He winked at Mira., who felt a twinge of shyness.

"You guys, I think we'd all like to know just who, it's Mira right?" asked TenTen. Mira nodded. "I think we'd all like to know just who Mira is."

Naruto took Mira's hand and stepped forward. Hinata caught her breath. _He's holding her hand! Is she……? _The thought caused a twinge of pain in her chest.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto began, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my sister, Mira Uzumaki."

"WHA?!" The whole group chorused, eyes wide and jaws dropped in shock. All at once, they swarmed Mira, each trying to get a good look at Mira.

Ino got there first. "You're Naruto's sister? Really? How long have you known? Is he older or younger than you?"

Shikamaru pushed past her. "Mira, right? You'll be embarrassed by him soon enough. Don't worry about it, though, Naruto's just a fool." A few feet away, Naruto glared at him.

Everyone was trying to talk to her at once. Mira blushed, but managed to maintain her composure. "It's very nice to meet you all!" She suddenly felt herself again. Her friendly self, who didn't care so much about people judging her. "I'd love the chance to get to know you all better!" She flashed a smile.

_Gah! She's his sister! _Kiba made a face. _I flirted with Naruto's sister! I've got a feeling I'm gonna hear from him about it. _Slowly his lips turned up in a toothy grin, pointed canines showing. _This just makes it more fun._

Hey, sorry 'bout the short, kinda boring chapter. I just had 2 get the low-key stuff out of the way; the story wouldn't make sense without these kinda details! Plz read and review, I need inspiration to keep writing!


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto led (more like dragged) her, Sakura and Sasuke to a ramen stand called Ichiraku Ramen. "Their food is the food of the gods!" he exclaimed. She had to admit they had good ramen. Afterwards she and Naruto had parted ways with Sakura and Sasuke, as it was getting late.

"Uhh, Naruto?" Mira asked. He glanced at her inquisitively. "Where am I gonna sleep?"

"You'll stay with me, of course!" Naruto replied. "You're my sister, after all!" He felt a little flutter in his stomach at those words, as did Mira.

"But I'm a girl! How am I gonna get any privacy?"

Naruto's cheeks turned pink with embarrassment. "Ok, we'll find you somewhere nearby me where you can stay. But for tonight, you'll have to stay at my place."

After a few minutes of walking they reached his rooms. Naruto offered Mira the bed but she insisted on taking the couch. _Guess it may be a while until we can treat each other as a normal brother and sister, _Mira mused. "Goodnight, Naruto," she called.

"Night," he replied, already half asleep.

Mira woke around 6 AM. Normally she wouldn't be up this early, but she was too keyed up from everything that had happened. She stared the couch she was on. _I know he likes orange, but come on, an orange couch?_ Naruto himself was sprawled out in his bed, snoring like a train.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, Mira got up. "YAAWWN…" Eyes sweeping the room, she grimaced. _Doesn't Naruto ever clean up after himself? I'll have to get him in the habit of doing so. For now, I might as well tidy things up a bit._ There was a lot to clean up. Clothes were scattered across the floor. In one corner was a pile of empty ramen cups. On the counter there was a half eaten ramen cup. To Mira's horror, there was a very sweaty sock soaking in the broth._ EEEEURGH!_ _OH MY GOD THAT"S SO GROSS! _she thought, making a face.

(3 hours later) Naruto opened his eyes, gave a bellowing yawn and wiped drool from the corner of his mouth. "Morning Mira!" The couch was empty. And his room was CLEAN. "Mira?" He found her out on the balcony. "Hey. You cleaned my room. You didn't have to do that."

Mira turned her head to look at him, though her hands stayed busy hanging up clothes. "To be frank, I did have to. Your room was a pigsty, it was disgusting."

"Hey it wasn't THAT bad!"

"It WAS that bad."

"Fine, whatever," huffed Naruto, knowing she was right.

"So, uhh, do we have anything, uhh, planned, to do today?" asked Mira awkwardly.

"Well, I've got training with my squad. Oh, wait, you're not a ninja!" said Naruto.

"I'm a certified genin, remember?"

"Oh yeah! Alright then! You can come train with me and my squad!"

"Great." Mira smiled. "Let's go."

(At the training field) "Hey Sakura! Hey Sasuke-teme!" Naruto yelled, making Mira flinch at his sheer noise level. She waved at Naruto's teammates.

"Hi guys," she said shyly as she approached them.

"Hey Mira, good morning!" Sakura greeted her warmly.

"Hn," was Sasuke's greeting.

"Don't take him personally, that's just Sasuke," Sakura murmured to Mira.

20 minutes later, Kakashi appeared in a poof of smoke.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura and naruto chorused.

"Ah, yeah, sorry about that. See, I had to help this old man…"

"LIAR!"

"I see we have a new face here", Kakashi said, ignoring the last comment. "Naruto, would this be your sister that everyone's been talking about?"

Mira's friendly side kicked in. "That's right, I'm Mira. It's nice to meet you." She gave him a cheerful grin.

"Nice to meet you too, Mira," approved Kakashi. "And you're here to train with us?"

"Yup!"

"All right, since you're new here, we should start by testing your abilities. Well, let's do it you guys," he said, speaking to his squad. 

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto stepped forward. Rather uncharacteristically, Sakura tripped. Sasuke caught her before she fell flat on her face, but her weight sent him off-balance. He swayed backwards, grabbing Sakura's arms to stop himself. He pulled himself upright, and for half a second his face was very close to Sakura's. They each thanked the other for catching them, then quickly separated, both blushing a bit. Thankfully, no one commented on it. Back to training.

"I believe the best way to test your abilities would be to have one of them battle you," Kakashi gestured toward the Squad 7 members. "Naruto, she's your sister, why don't you battle her?" Naruto nodded, his face determined as well as curious. "Let's get started then."

Naruto and Mira took up fighting stances 50 feet across from each other. "Don't hold back, Naruto!" Mira shouted, adrenaline rushing through her body.

"You bet I won't!" Naruto shouted right back. He made a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Suddenly there were 6 Narutos. They charged at Mira. Just as they reached her, she leapt to one side, pulling several Shurikan from a pouch on her belt, which she threw at the clones. They disappeared on contact with the Shurikan. Without warning, Naruto jumped on her back, holding on tightly. Mira dropped and somersaulted on the ground, hoping to shake him. He disappeared in a poof of smoke. _That was another shadow clone! Then where's the real Naruto?_ A shower of kunai fell upon her from a tree. One got her in the stomach, several in her arms and neck. With a poof, she turned into a log. It was a substitution jutsu.

Back and forth they clashed like that, kunai hitting kunai. As the day went on, they both lost more and more chakra, until they were totally depleted. Yet each was wrapped up in the battle now, determined to prove their strength.

Red chakra began to flare up around them both; the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra. Naruto produced another clone and began to form a sphere of chakra in his hand; his Rasengan. Mira closed her eyes and held her right arm up to the sky. Chakra covered her right hand, a glob going out two inches away from her hand. It began to froth and bubble. The others stared, entranced, at it; it bubbled and roiled like water, then hardened into a deadly looking, almost ice-like spearhead of chakra energy.

Weapons formed, Naruto and Mira charged at each other head-on. "Rasengan!" bellowed Naruto. "Raitou!" (rye-ee-too) screamed Mira. The two collided. A colossal force blasted through both of them, but didn't harm them. Their two weapons had connected. With a furious wind and a blinding flash of light, they canceled each other out.

For a moment Mira and Naruto simply stood there, panting. Then their knees buckled, and they collapsed on their behinds on the ground.

"That's enough training for today," Kakashi intervened. "Impressive work you two."

Naruto turned and grinned at Mira with his mouth open, as he was still catching his breath. "That was awesome! You totally kicked butt!"

"Thanks!" Mira grinned right back. "But you're one to talk, you're just as good! It was weird seeing the, er, Fox's chakra being used by someone else."

"Yeah it was! Gonna take some getting used to, but it's awesome! You didn't do that flying thing, though." The corners of Naruto's mouth drooped in disappointment.

"The thing about that is, I'm still working on it. I've pretty much mastered it, but in a battle like this it wouldn't have been much use, just a waste of chakra. I'll use it the next time we train, I promise." Mira winked at Naruto.

Kakashi meanwhile was deep in thought. _So Mira has the Fox chakra as well. And she is more controlled with it than Naruto was for a while. She's at least as powerful as him. Maybe even more powerful._

(skip ahead a bit in time) "Night Sakura, night Sasuke!" Naruto and Mira called as they again parted ways with them for the night.

"Night, guys!" Sakura called back. She started to walk home.

"Sakura?" It was Sasuke's voice.

She turned. "Yes?"

"I'll walk you home. I want to talk to you." Sakura was rather shocked but smiled and nodded her consent. She felt a little happy butterfly in her stomach. Sasuke had offered to her home! Imagine that!

"What do you think of Mira?" he asked her as they walked.

"I like her. She seems really nice, and boy is she strong!" Sakura said in admiration. "I just feel sorry for her that Naruto had to be her brother," she joked.

"She is very powerful. I'm definitely going to get her to teach me some of those techniques," Sasuke decided.

They were at Sakura's house. "Oh, before you go in, I've got something for you." He fumbled in his bag for a minute, then pulled out a book. "Ino has a part time job at the library. She said you were waiting for this book. I told her I'd give it to you."

Sakura took the book, surprised and happy simultaneously. Sasuke had done her a favor; he never did people favors. "Thanks, Sasuke!" She exclaimed. She took a step forward and hugged him.

Sakura failed to notice, as she hugged him, the blush on Sasuke's face, and the small smile he wore.

Sakura released him. "Well, goodnight!" She turned, opened the door and walked into her house. "Thanks for walking me home, Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke turned as well and headed in the direction of the Uchiha compound. "Flirt," he muttered with a smirk. But his eyes were smiling.

Mira is just as powerful as Naruto! And what's going on with Sasuke? Where will all this lead? Read and review, plz!


	5. Author's Note

Hey, I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted more. The thing is, I'm in my last couple of weeks of school before summer, and I'm up to my ears with finals and studying. I don't think I'll be able to write any more until summer starts. There's a chance I'll post again before summer but I wouldn't count on it. Plz bear with me, I'll write again as soon as I can!


	6. Chapter 5

(The next morning) "HEY, Hinata!"

Hinata flinched and turned sharply toward the direction of the voice. It was Naruto, loud as ever. Hinata gave a smile, accompanied by her usual blush. "H-Hi, Naruto!" She greeted him in a high voice. _Why do I always have to be so shy around him, even shyer than I normally am? _

By this time Naruto had reached her. "Hey, good morning!" he said cheerfully.

"Good m-morning, N-Naruto," Hinata replied quietly. "How are, ahh, things with your sister?"

"Pretty cool, actually. Mira's awesome. It's still kinda weird having a sister, ya know?"

"Uhhh, well yes, I suppose so." _Ack! What kind of reply is that?_

I think you'd like Mira too, " continued Naruto. He grinned. "I bet she'd like you too, you're so kind and sweet!"

Hinata's eyes widened. _Naruto-kun had just complimented her! He think I'm sweet and kind! _She was full of jittery excitement. "T-T-Thank you, Naruto!" She gasped.

Naruto smiled, accepting her thanks. "Why don't you come with me to see Mira? That'd be great if you'd come with me."

Hinata blushed deeper, pink becoming the deep red of a ripe cherry. She nodded. "Let's go," she declared, feeling a little surge of boldness from Naruto's attention.

(Back at Naruto's apartment) "Mira! Hey, sis!" _It's awkward right now, calling her that, but I may as well get used to it._ Then Naruto noticed Mira's appearance. "Wha? Are you still cleaning?"

Mira was clothes were covered in dust, her face smeared with grime (That's one thing I forgot to mention, Mira's customary clothes. She wears a short dress sorta like Sakura's, but it goes halfway to her knees and is a different color: dark, almost navy blue with lines of silvery-white around the edges of the dress. She has on white shorts, again same style as Sakura's. Then she has the basic black ankle-high sandals that most ninja wear. She wears her ninja headband the same way as Hinata's sensei Kurenai).

"Yeah I'm still cleaning. When's the last time you cleaned up here?" Mira balanced a load of laundry on one shoulder, using that arm's hand to hold the laundry in place. In her other hand she clutched a full garbage bag.

Hinata stared curiously at Mira. From when she'd first seen her at the Hokage building, she knew how Mira rather resembled Naruto. _I wonder if she's as loud as Naruto, _she thought, a little light of amusement dancing in her eyes. _Hopefully she's a little more sensible. _She loved Naruto, but he could stand to use his head a bit more often.

Mira was staring at Hinata now too. Naruto noticed their curious gazes. "Oh, right. Mira, meet Hinata-chan!"

Hinata blushed and looked down, hearing Naruto call her Hinata-chan again. The blush caught Mira's eye. _She blushes when Naruto shows any sort of affection towards her. She's got it bad. _Mira set her cleaning stuff down and walked up to Hinata. She gave Hinata an open smile, trying to make her feel at ease. "Hi, nice to meet you."

Knowing it would be rude to avoid eye contact, Hinata lifted her eyes till they met Mira's again. Mira's smile was an open invitation to relax, which Hinata did. "Nice to meet you too, Mira." _I didn't stutter! _She didn't know why, but she didn't feel as shy around Mira.

Off to the side of the road, hidden in the shadows, someone was watching these proceedings. The figure was hunched over, it's body covered by a familiar sight: a certain sort of black cloak, decorated with red clouds. The figure's eyes were trained on Mira. _So, she's the one he was talking about. She would be so useful to our cause, with the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra residing in her as well. What a pity he has other plans for her._

Cliffie! What's an Akatsuki member doing in Konoha? Why does he seem to know Mira from somewhere? Who's this person he's talking about, and what sort of plans does he have for Mira? Read and Review and find out more in the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 6

(Still with Mira, Naruto and Hinata)

"Hey Mira! Why don't you take a break from cleaning and come with us?" asked Naruto eagerly. "We could show you the village."

Mira gave one of her smiles, green eyes shining with a happy light. "That sounds like fun, I'd love to!" Quickly she rushed inside Naruto's apartment to wash her face and dust off her clothes.

2 minutes later, she came back out. "All right, let's get going!" she said cheerfully.

Hinata smiled. Mira's cheerful vibe was infectious.

As they set off through the village, Mira chatted with Hinata and Naruto. They asked her what it had been like in the mountain village she'd lived in, and she in turn asked about the leaf village. As they walked, Naruto pointed out various places around Konoha. "There's Ichiraku, makes the world's greatest ramen! And that's the hospital. Oh, here's the hot spring, Pervy Sage likes to come here a lot," Naruto informed her, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. This got him grimaces from both girls. "I bet you two would enjoy the hot spring," he continued, completely unaware of how wrong that sounded. He was enlightened a moment later by a smack upside the head from Mira.

"How about some lunch?" Naruto suggested when he was sure Mira wouldn't smack him.

"Sounds good," said Mira. "But something other than Ichiraku this time, please? With how you love ramen, Naruto, I'm sure I'll be eating there with you a lot anyway." Hinata "mmmmhhnn-ed and nodded her agreement.

"Well, all right," said Naruto, sounding disappointed.

"I hear there's a new sushi place that makes an unusual kind of ramen," Hinata put in. "We could go there and you could try that ramen, N-Naruto-kun." _Did I just say that? Normally I wouldn't have the nerve to say that, let alone directly to Naruto. And did I just call him Naruto-kun?_ Hinata was stunned that she was being so bold. It seemed like Mira was having some sort of effect on her; she wasn't sure yet if she liked or not.

"Good idea, Hinata-chan! Can you two get us some seats there? I think I forgot my wallet at my place." With that, Naruto shot off to his apartment, leaving the two girls alone. They set off to the sushi place.

Hinata turned her head to look at Mira. She was looking back at Hinata with a small, knowing smile. "What?" Hinata asked.

Mira's smile grew wider. "You like Naruto, don't you?"

Hinata gasped. "I-Is it really that obvious?"

"Pretty much, although I don't think Naruto knows. Boys tend to be pretty dense about this sort of thing."

"But…are you," Hinata hesitated, "are you all right with it?"

Here Mira laughed a surprised laugh and broke out into a grin. Her laugh was lighthearted and musical. "Of course I'm all right with it! You and Naruto would be so great together. Honestly, I think Naruto might like you too."

"R-R-Really?" Mira's words had Hinata trembling and stuttering and beaming all at once.

Mira nodded. "I don't think he really understands it yet, but just from the way he treats you it's clear there's something there."

_Naruto-kun might like me too! Could it be true?_ By now the two of them had reached the restaurant. They sat down at an outdoor table and waited for Naruto. As if on cue, Naruto appeared around a bend in the road and ran toward them.

Hinata looked over at Mira again and they made eye contact. "Let's do this again sometime, just you and me," Hinata suggested.

"Yeah!" Mira agreed enthusiastically.

(At the library)

"Forehead! Back so soon?" Ino exclaimed rather obnoxiously.

"Ino! Be quiet this is a library!" cried Ms Sian, the elderly librarian, breaking her own rule as she scolded Ino loudly."

"Sorry!" The librarian huffed and turned to walk away. " Geez, don't get your panties in a twist," muttered Ino.

Ms Sian whipped around. "I heard that! You disrespectful child, I'll teach you to talk back to me!" She proceeded to chase Ino around the main area of the library, brandishing a metal book stamper.

Sakura sweatdropped, having been watching the whole exchange. Ms Sian wasn't the most predictable person in the world; oftentimes she was rather batty.

Sakura decided to try and save Ino a headbashing. "Eh, excuse me, Ms Sian?"

The librarian halted in her pursuit. "Yes, what is it, dear?" She asked in friendly tones, reverting back to a better mood.

"I just came to return this book. I was also hoping to get the sequel, if you have it."

"Forehead, how fast do you read these books?" asked Ino in amazement. "That was a 500 page book and you checked it out barely 2 days ago."

"Well, it was a good book."

"Well, Sakura, lucky for you, I believe we do have the sequel," Ms Sian chirped, oblivious to the two girls' conversation. "Now where did I put that book….ah, there it is! Oh, oh dear."

Ms Sian had led Sakura to a bookshelf out of Ino's sight, but her smile melted into a dismayed frown. The book was up on the second highest shelf, nearly 50 feet up. "There's no way I'll be able to reach that, even with a ladder," Ms Sian furrowed her eyebrows, gesturing at the wheeled ladder attached to the shelf.

Sakura spoke up. "Oh, that's all right, I can get it."

"Are you sure, my dear? It's rather high up."

"Don't trouble yourself, really, I can see that you're very busy organizing. I can manage." Having received those words of assurance, Ms Sian nodded and walked off to other parts of the library.

Sakura started up the ladder. The wheels made it a little wobbly, so she made sure to be careful with each step she took. Soon she reached the top. The book was just a little out of reach, almost close enough to touch. The hardcover red book was even thicker than the first, blue book. Sakura hesitated. Maybe she shouldn't. But she was dying to read it, the series was so good.

Keeping one hand on the top rung, she reached out for it. Still out of reach. _Maybe if I…_

She hoisted herself even further upward. Now she was standing on the top rung of the ladder, clinging to the edge of the bookshelf. Again she reached for the book, and this time her fingers closed around its spine. It was wedged between the other books pretty tight. She tugged and it shifted a bit. She tugged again, harder.

Suddenly the book came free of its spot, catching Sakura off-balance. The book came loose from her hands, hitting her hard in the forehead. She felt a wave of wooziness, and suddenly she was falling, air whipping at her face.

"SAKURA!" Strong arms were suddenly holding her bridal style, grabbing her from her fall. Sakura felt a gentle bumping motion as she was carried back to the ground. The arms put her down so she was in a kneeling position.

"Sakura! Sakura, are you all right?" Sasuke demanded, his voice close to panicked. "Wha—your head! You're bleeding!" He put his hands on her shoulders. "Sakura, answer me!"

Sakura looked down, her head swimming. After such a scare, she was still in shock. She had trouble concentrating on things; she was half simply trying not to pass out. Someone was talking to her. It was Sasuke! Why did he sound so scared? She lifted her head to look at him.

His eyes were unveiled for once, and what Sakura saw in his eyes astonished her. Liquid ebony pools filled with fear, worry, even—pain?

"Please be all right," begged Sasuke, drawing Sakura close and wrapping his arms around her. "Please!" Sakura for her part was amazed and in further shock. She'd never seen him like this before. Did he really care so much about her?

"I-I'm all right, Sasuke," she assured him, wrapping her own arms around him. "Or I will be." They held each other like that for a moment; Sasuke relieved for Sakura, Sakura wondering at Sasuke's behavior, both of them enjoying being in each other's arms.

Then reality set back in. Both of them pulled back. Sakura's face was similar to a strawberry, Sasuke red as a tomato.

"Thank you so much for, uhhh, saving me just now," Sakura said sincerely. Thank God she wasn't stuttering, even if she was bright red.

"I'm glad I caught you," said Sasuke, uncertain for once. "I'm a little, umm, concerned about your head, though. You should go get that healed," he said, standing and helping her to her feet.

"You're right, I'll do that," agreed Sakura. "One thing, though. What are you doing here, at the library?"

"Hn. Kakashi-sensei is having me read the history of the leaf village. According to him I don't have a good enough understanding of it." Sasuke shrugged.

Just then the two noticed the position they were still in. Sasuke had his arms wrapped around Sakura's waist. Sakura had her arms thrown around his neck. Quickly they released each other, both blushing cranberry now.

"S-S-S-So then, I'll see you at training in a few hours," Sakura stuttered.

"Y-Ye-Yeah, see you then," replied Sasuke, trying to regain his usual cool and failing miserably. They turned and walked in separate directions.

Sakura put a hand to her mouth, wondering what this meant for she and Sasuke.

_You moron! Uchihas are NOT supposed to freak out like that! …It's just…_Sasuke couldn't resist looking over his shoulder at her. She had a hand to her mouth, her jade eyes cast upward. Sasuke got a little flip in his stomach just looking at her.

(Outside the village, several miles into the forest)

"Where is he? He knows—they all do—that I don't like to be kept waiting." The figure growled impatiently. The sun was low in the sky, just beginning to sink down over the horizon. Seconds after saying this, his eye caught a flicker of movement.

A low voice broke the silence. "Sasori. I take it you've found the girl?"

Sasori turned around. "Finally, Itachi, you're here. Yes, I've found her. And just for you," he added mockingly, "I even got this." He held up a photo and handed it to Itachi.

Itachi looked the photo over carefully. It was a profile of a girl, with blonde hair and large green eyes. "How kind of you. She looks remarkably like that other jinchuuriki, Naruto. But I can see her mother's features in her face as well. What did you say her name was?"

"Mira."

"Mira. It certainly sounds familiar."

"Itachi, are you unyielding in your decision about her?" asked Sasori. "With the Nine Tailed Fox's chakra inside of her, she could be very useful to the Akatsuki's cause. Your decision seems such a waste."

"I am decided." Itachi's voice was even and firm. "I have to finish what I started, and it will end with her. Naruto has more than enough of the Nine Tails' chakra to suffice."

"Be quick about it then. As part of the Akatsuki, you have more important matters to think about than such an old affair."

"Right." With that short affirmation, the two parted, Itachi headed for Konoha.

So it seems love is in the air with Sasuke and Sakura, as well as Naruto and Hinata. And Itachi wants something with Mira! What did he mean by "I have to finish what I started"? Find out in the next chapter! Plz read and review, I need that inspiration to keep writing!


	8. IMPORTANT NOTICE

IMPORTANT! I've been trying to write the next chapter to this story, but it's tough when I'm not getting any encouragement to write more. I'm just starting to wonder if it's worth it keeping this story going if only a few people are reading it. So here's the deal: I need 10 reviews from all of you out there before I write anything else for the story.


	9. Chapter 7

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! I'm having fun writing this story, but I've been having writers block lately. I need some inspiration to get past it so read and review!

I'd like to give a special shout-out to tenshi303 for all the help and support she's given me throughout the writing of this story! So thanks tenshi303, you're the best!

"Hey, Mira!" Sakura called. "There you are, we're gonna be late, Hinata's not gonna be happy!"

"I'm coming!" Mira called back hastily. It had been a month since she'd arrived at the village. She and Naruto were much more like brother and sister now. She'd further met and gotten to know all his friends. After meeting Sakura and Hinata, the three girls had become best friends.

(10 minutes later, at Hinata's house)

"What kept you guys? You're late," Hinata stated when she saw Sakura and Mira coming. Sakura had influenced Hinata; making her less quiet and shy, although she still stuttered around Naruto.

"Hey, blame Mira here, she had me looking all over for her."

"Did you get wrapped up in your music practice again?" Hinata asked Mira with a knowing smile.

"You got me. What can I say, I love singing." Mira had a wonderful voice, and loved to sing in a way that she often lost track of time when practicing.

"Anyway," Sakura interrupted, "let's get going and get some lunch, I'm starving."

"All right, let's go," Mira said peppily as they headed out the door.

They took a left around the corner, walking until they came to a gathering of food places. It was a holiday in Konoha, so all the restaurants had set up food stands in a spacious clearing nearby. Walking through the rows of stands, the three kunoichi inhaled the smells of cooking food. There were the smells of meat and veggies being cooked, as well as the entertaining show at the Ichiraku Ramen stand of how they make their ramen noodles.

"Mmm, everything looks so good," said Sakura. She walked up to one stand. "I'll have a couple sticks of barbecued pork."

As she was paying for the food, a civilian ran by her and knocked into her, making her drop the money all over the ground. "Sorry!" He called back to her, though he didn't stop to help.

Sakura made an annoyed noise, and looked for a moment like she was gonna yell at the guy. But Hinata had rubbed off on Sakura as well. Sakura rolled her eyes, then knelt down and started picking up the money. Hinata and Mira got down and helped her too. When they had all the money, they plopped it onto the food stand's countertop, and the man behind the counter handed Sakura her barbecued pork.

"I'm not that hungry, I guess I'll just get some rice," decided Mira. "You guys ready?" As she turned to face her friends, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. A man in his twenties was standing leaned against a tree, a sedge hat shading his face. He had a lean frame and black hair that hung an inch or two above his chin. _That guy looks kinda familiar... _The man tilted his head upward slightly, and Mira sucked in her breath. His eyes were blood red.

"Guys," she hissed to Hinata and Sakura, "guys, we need to go, now!"

"What? Why? What's wrong?" asked Sakura worriedly, eyeing Mira's own wide, scared eyes.

"Are you all right, Mira?" Hinata asked, noticing how Mira had tensed.

"No, I'm not all right, I have to get out of here!" Mira glanced back at the tree; the man was gone. She turned to run, and he was behind her.

_No! No! _Mira tried to move her legs, but they wouldn't budge. She was paralyzed with fear. _Fear? Or…! _His eyes. The two black teardrops in each eye were spinning wildly, now a blur. _He's got me immobilized with his Sharingan! _

The man wrapped a hand around her neck and squeezed, still keeping her locked in his whirling gaze. Her eyes widened as her windpipe was abruptly closed off. She couldn't breathe. "Nice to see you again, Mira," he said, as calmly as if they were having tea.

Sakura was in turmoil; her calculating ninja mind seemed to have deserted her. _No, please, no! _Mira was her best friend; almost more so than Ino had been. _This can't happen, it just can't!_

_Mira! _Hinata felt panic clawing through her body, trying to immobilize her.

This man could only be Itachi Uchiha. It was clear what he wanted with Mira, but why? If they didn't do something soon…_No! _

Forcing the panic down, she glanced over at Sakura, and they shared a silent statement. What should they do? Sakura motioned with her head, communicating with it and her eyes. The two of them began edging to the side.

Itachi didn't even seem to notice the two kunoichi. His eyes were locked with Mira's emerald ones. The swirling teardrops in his eyes were strangely hypnotic; as Mira stared at them her mind began to drift away, and it showed in her steadily dulling emerald orbs.

He squeezed harder on her throat, and Mira would've gasped in pain if she could. Red spots danced in front of her vision. He was going to break her neck at this rate. "I know, this must hurt," he continued, and a deadly gleam came into his eyes. "But don't worry. It won't last much longer."


	10. Chapter 8

**Recap:** He was going to break her neck at this rate. "I know this must hurt," he continued, and a deadly gleam came into his eyes. "But don't worry. It won't last much longer."

Hinata activated her Byakugan, with it pinpointing the most vulnerable point on Itachi's body. It was a small spot on his spine, where his dark shirt folded into a small crease.

Hinata locked eyes with Sakura again, then motioned with her eyes to the spot.

Sakura nodded once in a barely visible movement, her usually soft eyes now sharp jade knives.

Through the pain, Mira could feel the darkness just past the edge of her vision. In a moment it would claim her. Her eyelids fluttered half closed, hooding a pair of nearly lifeless orbs. _Is this really it? Can this really be the end of me? _Her eyes closed fully.

WHAM! Sakura delivered a shattering punch to Itachi's weak point. With a surprised grunt of pain, he released Mira.

"Run, Mira!" Sakura shouted.

Mira's eyes flew open, and her mind cleared. Immediately she shot off running, trying to put as much distance as possible between her and _that man. _She felt a blast of worry for Hinata and Sakura—especially Sakura since she had punched him. _He's after me, not them, _she thought. _The best thing I can do is to lead him away from them. _

The chase elicited an immediate disturbance in the holiday gathering of restaurants. Mira wove back and forth through the food stalls and stands, trying desperately to evade her attacker. Those same stands were wrecked right and left as Itachi tore after her.

For several moments, Hinata and Sakura stood there staring, still in shock. Many a infuriated cook could be heard, screaming multiple impressive strings of profanities to the sky. One particularly temperamental man waded into the remains of his stall, trying to salvage what was left and swearing violently at anyone passing by.

"Sakura," Hinata said urgently, jolting them both back to the current situation. "We need to get help."

Sakura nodded, and they took off running.

(Back with Mira)

No matter how far or fast she ran, he was always a few feet behind her. Soon he would catch her. _I'm such a selfish little idiot. I came to Konoha because I thought I could have a family, or something like one anyway. But by coming here, I've put everyone who's now precious to me in danger. Especially Naruto, and Sasuke. If Itachi finds them here, he'll be sure to want them too. _

A tear rolled down Mira's cheek. _I won't let that happen! I'll have to leave. But…how can I leave now that I have so many that are close to me? No, no, no. Don't think like that. You know it's the only way to keep Itachi away from them all. _With the tears flowing freely now, she veered sharply onto a different road. Itachi followed right behind, unfazed.

Mira jumped a fence onto a new road. She had lost Itachi, if only for a few moments. But up ahead of her, she spotted—her friends! She counted Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, Lee, TenTen, Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, Shino, and Kiba. _I've led him right to them! _She sped up and took the deepest breath she could while running. "Guys!" She shrieked. "Guys you have to get away! Please, get outta here!"

They all turned at the sound of her shrieks, looking concerned and alert. The sight that met their eyes was this: Mira running toward them, tears streaming down her face, which was frantic with fear. "Mira, wha-" Naruto's question died in his throat. Itachi Uchiha had just appeared feet behind Mira, obviously chasing her.

_These genin wouldn't be any trouble to dispose of. Still, it would be a bother. I need to end this. _Itachi drew a senbon needle from a pouch on his belt. With a flick of his wrist, it lodged in Mira's shoulder.

"Aaaaagh!" The needle caught Mira off guard. She stumbled and started to fall, face-first, toward the ground. But a pair of arms intercepted her fall. They weren't Itachi's.

The arms belonged to Lee. _Of course, he's the only one here who's fast enough to catch me in time. _He set her down so she was lying on her side on the ground. Her eyes widened as she took in her surroundings. Her friends were on their feet in stances for battle. They had formed a defensive circle around her. "What are you guys doing? Please, just go, I don't want any of you getting hurt!"

"No can do, Mira." To her surprise, it was Sasuke who had spoken.

"Sasuke's right, Mira," this time it was Naruto. "You're my sister, and you've become like a sister to everyone here. And we're not gonna abandon our sister when she needs help most." Mira looked at each of her friends. Their eyes held confirmation of Naruto's statement.

Her eyes filled with more tears. "You guys have become like family to me too. And that's exactly why you need to get away from here! I couldn't stand to see anything happen to you."

"We're not leaving." Kiba said firmly. "You shouldn't be so selfish." Mira stared at him in shock, rendered speechless. "We want to protect you. We care about you. So let us help you."

This time Mira shed tears of gratitude. "Everyone, thank you so much."

"Very touching." All eyes turned back to Itachi. "Too bad I'm going to have to kill you all, if what you say is the case."

Sasuke's face lit up with fury as he stared at his older brother. "No one interfere," he snarled, his eyes switched to Sharingan. "This is my fight."

"You think you can take on me alone, little brother? You're pathetic. Still just an annoyance."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Annoyance, huh?" he spat through gritted teeth. "HOW'S THIS FOR AN ANNOYANCE! Flame Manipulation Jutsu!" (This is a jutsu I made up) A heat shimmer gathered around Sasuke, sparking into a blaze of flame that molded around his arms yet remained at a 2-inch distance, never quite touching his skin. He moved his arms as though he were doing Tai Chi, and the flames followed his motions, bending to his will (If you've ever seen the cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender, imagine Waterbending motions, but with fire).

He rushed toward Itachi, his eyes widening as he shouted, "HININGEN!"

When they were inches away, Itachi grabbed Sasuke's wrist, dispelling the fire from his arms with one move. Sasuke stared in shock, then his gaze slid up to his older brother's face. Face blank, he spoke in a monotone, "No, you are nowhere remotely close to being strong." That said, he flung Sasuke into the fence, swinging him by his wrist. Sasuke screamed in pain as the motion broke his wrist. Then he slammed face-first into the fence, and slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Sasuke!" It was Sakura. She and Hinata had finally caught up. Quickly the two of them picked up Sasuke and jumped with him into the protective circle surrounding Mira. Sakura focused her chakra into one hand until it glowed with the soft green color of healing chakra. She moved over Sasuke's forehead for a moment to confirm that there was no brain damage, then moved on to his wrist.

"Uuugh…" Sasuke stirred, groaning. Opening his eyes, he had to wait a moment for his vision to refocus. When it did, he saw and felt a hand on his wrist; it glowed light green, relieving the pain in warm waves. It felt good. Looking up, he saw it was Sakura who was healing him. She had a worried look on her face that turned relieved when he met her gaze. Sasuke was glad to see the worry leave her features. He didn't like seeing her unhappy.

Sakura silently exhaled when she saw that Sasuke was all right; she didn't even know she'd been holding her breath. "Sasuke," she addressed him. "I know what you have against Itachi, but now isn't the time for that." Sasuke scowled when he heard her say this. "He's after Mira," Sakura continued, "we have to help her. All of us."

Sasuke's scowl lessened as he reluctantly saw the reason in her words. He displayed the same acceptance to Mira that he had with Naruto and Sakura and Kakashi, but he had come to care about her just as much as he cared about his team. She was Naruto's sister, for Christ sake. And Itachi obviously wanted to get rid of her. His scowl came back full blast.

"Sasuke..?" Sakura was waiting for him to do something that indicated his thoughts. He made eye contact with her again and nodded once. Sakura nodded back.

"What we need," said Ino, turning to Shikamaru, "is a plan."


End file.
